Blog Post:
Speeding and Reading
We love
speed. Who doesn't? We want to zoom towards our target, we want our money to
come in quickly and we want to see more natural wonders than anyone else.
Godfrey Mann, as well as the people of Singapore, love speed, which is why they
get along so well. Although Godfrey Mann is a blonde-haired foreigner with
mystifying mannerisms, he experiences no major altercations in Singapore, which
is populated by an Asian majority. He is not locked up in jail by corrupt
authorities nor beaten up by xenophobic locals. Godfrey Mann enjoyed his
Singapore experience so much that he gives favourable reviews about the small
island to his friends, when asked. He had almost no negative opinion about Singapore
(in part because he doesn't remember everything), which some of you may
certainly find unbelievable. Then again, he's a fictional character.
I love
speed too. I love computers that compute quickly, and people who can get right
to the heart of the matter. The quicker someone solves a problem, the happier I
am. Although my book collection is mostly made up of paper books, I have first
launched my novel, 'Hot Spring', as an e-book so that it can be instantaneously
delivered to the reader. No travel time to the bookstore, no waiting in the
line. Putting my novel as an ebook allows me to deliver quickly without
shortening my writing process, which would compromise the quality of my novel.
I don't cut corners for my readers.
What is
surprising about Singapore is that her people love speed because they are quite
deprived of it. It is a fairly small island, and the best road to speed along
would be the Ayer Rajah Expressway joining into East Coast Parkway. (part of it
is featured in the picture) They connect the west to east side of the island
(where the renowned Changi Airport is) in slightly over an hour when going at
the legal speed of 70-90 km/h ( about 50 miles per hour). Singapore is
really that small. As we all know, legal limits are only enforced when the
cops are visibly on duty, and people usually go about 10 to 20 km/h more when
driving. The cops and authorities define this as 'speeding'. Godfrey and Chucky
enter the city with this expressway, and Godfrey will later chase down a nasty
villain who tries to flee to the airport. The Singapore F1 Grand Prix is also
another speeding event which enthralls Godfrey and other international
tourists, so it is a key event in the novel.
Although
some speeding in life is sometimes necessary, speeding is not for beginners,
because it is dangerous and seductive. The best speeders only speed when they
have to, and do not speed for speeding's sake. They get their thrills from a
wide variety of activities, one of them books. This does not apply merely to
speeding on the road, but also to speeding through life, its lessons and
details. If we speed on the road, we miss the scenery; if we speed through
life, we miss its varied tastes and colors. Our brains can actually degenerate
if we speed through life! This is a major theme in Hot Spring, where we can
observe how the prosperity of the fast life sometimes make us vulnerable
mentally.
And finally
onto speed reading. I do speed read from time to time. I speed read news
articles, especially when they are on topics that have been going on for a long
time (eg. for the last decade), especially along the lines of 'China is to
blame for American problems' or 'USA is to blame for China's problems'.
However, I don't speed read fiction when I want to have a good time. It doesn't
make sense. Everything becomes boring. Sure it's a good idea to read more
carefully for your favorite chapters and characters. Speed-reading fiction is
like gulping down food without tasting it. People gulp down food quickly only
for three reasons: the food does not taste good, they are in a rush, or they
have a bad habit of gulping. If there is good food and plenty of time, and
the person still swallows it quickly anyway, that person is a sad, pathetic
creature who is likely to be very cruel and crass.
So let us
enjoy reading more than speeding, and keep ourselves away from those who are
trying to fall sick. Read all about speeding into, speeding around, and
speeding out of a tropical city in 'Hot Spring'. Be like Chucky, hang on to the
driver, and Gawdspeed!
The Wonderful Times of Godfrey and Chucky: Hot Spring
by Daitoku Daiichi
Genre: Drama/Teens/Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Daitoku Daiichi
Release Date: January 2013
Kobo
The Wonderful Adventures of Godfrey and Chucky
Godfrey is young, wealthy and able-bodied. He has all the women you can imagine, and unbelievably deep pockets. But Godfrey wants more. His Great Greatness wants to rid the world of a menacing scourge, and restore what is truly superior to an elevated position. Why would anyone stop him? Who could possibly stop him?
Chucky arrives as the new assistant, and tries to perform every duty that is handed to him. What challenges for a dull servant! Look at him muddling through! With passports of exclusive privilege, the two adventurers make a splash in tropical Langkawi, where the water is blue and the girls are brown. Then they rendezvous with the locals in Singapore, where pleasures are plentiful and multicolored. Food and money are found in piles. Life in a global city should be, possibly, one of uninterrupted leisure…shouldn’t it?
Desire is a seductively red piece of jade, which resides even in our dreams.
"I am a healthy, strong and sexy male with a life, most of it sex life." - Godfrey Mann
"I did not know how to reply, since the words were difficult to speak." - Chucky
Publisher: Daitoku Daiichi
Release Date: January 2013
Kobo
The Wonderful Adventures of Godfrey and Chucky
Godfrey is young, wealthy and able-bodied. He has all the women you can imagine, and unbelievably deep pockets. But Godfrey wants more. His Great Greatness wants to rid the world of a menacing scourge, and restore what is truly superior to an elevated position. Why would anyone stop him? Who could possibly stop him?
Chucky arrives as the new assistant, and tries to perform every duty that is handed to him. What challenges for a dull servant! Look at him muddling through! With passports of exclusive privilege, the two adventurers make a splash in tropical Langkawi, where the water is blue and the girls are brown. Then they rendezvous with the locals in Singapore, where pleasures are plentiful and multicolored. Food and money are found in piles. Life in a global city should be, possibly, one of uninterrupted leisure…shouldn’t it?
Desire is a seductively red piece of jade, which resides even in our dreams.
"I am a healthy, strong and sexy male with a life, most of it sex life." - Godfrey Mann
"I did not know how to reply, since the words were difficult to speak." - Chucky
About The Author:
Inspired by English and Japanese gardens, Daitoku Daiichi is committed to sharing scenes of beauty with his readers. He hopes that through the mansion-like device of the novel, he can host a tea party to serve his readers exotic delights. In the day, he is a tutor, essayist, gourmet and world traveler. People somehow love to share their secrets with him, and he wants use his gifts of perception to tell innovative stories.
Readers are always welcome to chat with him at ddaiichi@gmail.com
Website | Facebook
Inspired by English and Japanese gardens, Daitoku Daiichi is committed to sharing scenes of beauty with his readers. He hopes that through the mansion-like device of the novel, he can host a tea party to serve his readers exotic delights. In the day, he is a tutor, essayist, gourmet and world traveler. People somehow love to share their secrets with him, and he wants use his gifts of perception to tell innovative stories.
Readers are always welcome to chat with him at ddaiichi@gmail.com
Website | Facebook
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